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Citizen Weekly

Sunday 26 April 2015

Siaya residents demand Uhuru visits with title deeds

Residents of West Yimbo location in Siaya are demanding to be issued with land title deeds to solve the prolonged land injustices in the area.
The over 3,000 residents challenged the government to issue them with title deeds so as to avert the constant exploitation by investors who are buying land at low prices.
Led by the area ward rep Willis Ochieng, the residents cited lack of land ownership documents in Usenge and Mageta sublocations as the major contributor of poverty amongst majority of the residents in the region.
“We need to possess our land genuinely through title deeds and not parcel numbers as is the case.  It is a pity that none of us has ever seen a land title deed 50 years since independence,” lamented Ochieng.
The residents commended Uhuru Kenyatta for issuing land titles in the coast region and asked him to extend the same to Siaya county.
Ochieng blamed the previous regimes for not being keen on issuance of title deeds adding that the issuance of title deeds was vital in the area as it will ultimately resolve land problems in the county. He added that most of the locals have failed to secure loans to start income generating activities due to lack of security for securing the loans.
“We have been unable to invest since we lack the vital documents that we can use to get bank loans. We want the title deeds to help locals to easily get loans,” he said.
Ochieng who is also a member of the lands, housing and planning committee in the county assembly said that he will push a legislation in the assembly that will compel the county government to issue out title deeds to some parts of Siaya which still lack the vital documents.
“We understand that the issues of land squarely fall under the government, but the executive of Siaya county should find ways of allocating some funds for processing title deeds,” said Ochieng.
Meanwhile, residents who have built on road reserves have been directed to pull down the illegal structures to pave way for the expansion of feeder roads and centers.
The Siaya county assembly committee chairman on land, housing and planning Obiero Otare said that the structures standing on road reserves have already been marked and the owners are yet to be notified on the impending demolition.
“I want to state here very categorically that we  don’t encourage locals to put buildings on road reserves, we have noticed that a lot of structures are on the road reserves. We are in the processes of drafting letters to inform the owners on the  impending demolitions,” stated  Otare.

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